


Another College AU Story

by Kamari333



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Asperger Syndrome, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Everyone's had that one history teacher, Hypersensitivity, Insecurity, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, OC, Phobias, Psychology, Slice of Life, Social Anxiety, Stars, Unusual Phobias, garbage, light sensitivity, sensory issues, shitposting, stars are pretty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-15 23:59:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11242005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamari333/pseuds/Kamari333
Summary: Inspired byTen Skeletons, Two Bestieswhich I'm basically ripping off the premise from.Consider this story an OC shitpost and don't bother reading.Sans and Papyrus go to college. They get stuck with a weird human roommate. Stuff happens.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ten Skeletons, Two Besties](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10745415) by [MsMK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsMK/pseuds/MsMK), [Optima_chama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Optima_chama/pseuds/Optima_chama). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Introduction to the Situation  
> Or, Moving Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I'm going to actually continue this. It doesn't seem like it will hold much interest to anyone.

When the barrier came down, everyone thought it would be smooth sailing. They were wrong.

First off, humans were absolutely... the diplomatic word would be 'uncooperative'. The official stance taken by the government, which was largely influenced by the substantial amount of gold that monsters had in their possession, was that monsters were welcome in the world of humans. However, that only seemed to extend so far, as negotiations regarding legal rights were at a stand still. Furthermore, the civilian (and non-civilian) humans had begun fracturing off into various factions, as humans were wont to do. Some were enthusiastic about the integration of monster culture into human society, others were vehement in their desire to drive them back Underground. There were many who were on the fence, liking the technological and economical movements that monsters brought, but still unsettled by their culture and (to be blunt) appearance. Some were simply afraid of magic. Others swooned at the idea that magic was real, well and truly real, and that there was finally irrefutable proof. And then there were the scant few who didn't even notice that monsters had come out from the Underground, because they were shut-ins who never went outside or watched the news. That being said, there were increasingly more displays of anti-monster sentiment, making the logistics of living outside Mt. Ebott increasingly more difficult.

Which brought about the second problem. Turns out, making it in the world of humans, even for humans, required jumping through a lot of hoops. For example, you couldn't get a job with even the appearance of decent pay without going to college, and apparently, humans didn't take monster equivalents. Which really sucked for monsters, like Sans and Alphys, who were already comparable to Ph.Ds Underground.

Alphys, being fired from her position of Royal Scientist, had gone looking for a new job. The local institute had snatched her up fast enough to make her head spin, impressed with her resume and accomplishments, eager to make sure their competition didn't get their hands on her. Sans, however, did not have a reputation for being particularly intelligent or industrious, and found that, even if he juggled multiple jobs at once, he couldn't afford rent on the surface at his current level. Not if he was going to support Papyrus, who still desired to work in law enforcement, even though the Royal Guard had technically been disbanded.

Which meant that, like so many other monsters, Sans was going to have to get a college degree.

\-------

God damn on-campus living requirements.

Sans lazily moved the last box with his BLUE magic, flicking his left wrist with two upraised phalanges, prompting the contents of the box to burst forth and find their proper place in his new dorm room. He had brought maybe four boxes, each no bigger than his own rib cage (he didn't really have that much in the way of things), but moving it all had been exhausting. Not only was this the only college that would accept a monster's admittance at the moment, but there had only been one table available for monsters to check in at, while hundreds of monsters had had the same idea as Sans. The resulting line had been insanely long, snaking across the large plaza in the middle of campus three times, and as a result, it had taken literally hours to finally get his living situation sorted. So, mentally and physically taxed, Sans lay there on his side, skull propped up on his right arm, finally giving himself a moment to acclimate to the new environment.

Sans was a skeleton monster, short by monster standards, with a near perpetual grin stretching across his face. He wore his usual blue jacket, the large grey hood down, hanging loosely around his cervical vertebrae where it acted as a cushion. His white t-shirt no longer had ketchup and grease stains (his brother had seen to that after coming to the surface), but his black track shorts were still rumpled thanks to his consistent lazing about. Sans was still Sans, after all, and he liked being lazy. He just wasn't used to being lazy in new places. New things were, well, new, and he hadn't had _anything_ new in a long time. Which might be why he was having such trouble relaxing in what would likely be his bed for the next few years.

In all fairness, Sans should have been happy. His pathetic excuse for a savings had gone a long way, thanks to humans holding gold in such high esteem. The banks had been falling over themselves to get their hands on it! The resulting exchange had made those initial necessary purchases, like housing and that car his brother had wanted so badly, easy. However, Sans knew it wouldn't last long. The Surface was _expensive_. Maybe not as expensive as Underground, if you considered exchange rates (damn did gold go a long way up here!) but it still wasn't cheep. Which meant he needed a well paying job. Which meant he needed a resumé. Which meant he needed to meet certain requirements.

Which meant college.

He sighed for the hundredth time since he came to that realization. Humans were such sticklers for formality. Wasn't showing his aptitude enough?

Apparently not.

On the bright side, he had more than enough to put himself (and his brother!) through their education. He had been able to pay for four years in advance, and thanks to his associations with the Queen of All Monsters (boy, was that a surprise!) he had even managed to get a significant discount on tuition.

But now they had to live on-campus.

Surrounded by humans.

Humans which Sans did not trust. At. All.

A clatter brought Sans out of his thoughts. It had come from the kitchen area of the three-bedroom apartment they had been assigned. Sans smiled softly, meandering his way out of his room, down the short hall, through the livingroom area, and leaned against the kitchen doorway to watch the events within.

In the kitchen was his brother, Papyrus, dressed in a simple black long sleeved shirt and smart khaki pants with a yellow-orange belt. His red scarf, which he insisted on wearing regardless of the fact that he was inside, shifted with each deft motion as he bent up and down. Papyrus was tall by human standards (although not so much by monsters). As such, he had little trouble putting the groceries, which consisted primarily of spaghetti, away in the cupboards hanging above the kitchen counter.

"THESE CUPBOARDS ARE SO SHORT!" Papyrus exclaimed, looking back down at his feet. A soft murmur escaped into the air as something reached up and handed Papyrus another box to put away. Sans couldn't see it from his vantage point, obscured as it was by the island that stood in the middle of the kitchen, but he knew what was there. It was a tiny human child, no older than ten, dressed in a blue sweater with two purple stripes that was a size too big for them.

Frisk, the child, tugged gently on Papyrus's arm. Papyrus looked down with a bright smile. "YES, TINY HUMAN?" He asked. After a prompt from the child, Papyrus knelt down to their level. He was promptly entangled in tiny limbs, giggles of delight erupting as Frisk succeeded in their surprise hug. "NYEHHH!!!" He exclaimed in mock distress, throwing his head back, "I HAVE BEEN ATTACKED!! BUT YOU WILL NOT BEST ME!! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ALSO AN EXPERT IN THE ART OF HUGS!!" With that, he proceeded to display his talents, laughing as he cuddled the child he and Sans had come to adore so much. Frisk, for their part, enjoyed the attention, nuzzling into the skeleton's rib cage without a second thought.

Sans smiled. It was a delight to see his little brother so happy, and having a happy Frisk was just icing on the cake. It was all he could ever ask for, all he HAD ever asked for, and so he ignored the dark, invasive thoughts that whispered all the ways it could be stripped away.

Then a soft clicking sound broke through the air. Sans turned. The sound was coming from the front door, on the other side of the livingroom area. Papyrus stood up, carrying Frisk up with him, holding the child like a doll. Frisk shifted their grip on Papyrus, looking over at the door with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

Sans had been certain to lock it when they had come in (better safe than sorry), which meant that whoever was opening the door had a key. Which meant they had been issued one. Which meant that they were their roommate.

Sans watched as the door swung open, and inside came a human.

The human was short, not much taller than Sans himself. They had mouse brown hair in two curly columns on each side of their head, reaching down passed their clavicle, leaving the back of their neck exposed. Dirty, slightly bent, wire rimmed glasses obscured their blue-grey eyes, which were trained on the floor in front of them. Pale skinned, slender fingers clutched at two plastic supermarket bags, their thumb hooked around the strap of a simple multi-pocket bag that was slung over their shoulder. Their other hand held a third plastic bag, as well as the keys that Sans recognized as being identical to his own. The human's oversized, baggy, dark green t-shirt had small perceivable holes near the shoulder on their left side. Their tight pajama jeans made a soft swishing sound as they turned to close the door, the black and white flip-flops making a gentle but audible tap with each step. The most striking part of the whole ensemble was the headband, which sported large pointed faux-fur animal ears in a chestnut brown color three shades too bright to match the human's hair.

Sans watched as they hung their key on the hooks near the door, then, without looking up from the floor, made their way toward the kitchen (and them). The human didn't even seem to notice they were there until Papyrus opened his mouth.

"HELLO THERE, HUMAN!" The tall skeleton said in his most cheerful voice as he walked around the kitchen island and stepped in front of the new roommate he was eager to meet. Frisk, still secured in his arms, smiled pleasantly, a little shy around new people but no less friendly for it.

The human jumped, head snapping up. Sans detected the slightest jiggling motion under their shirt. Female? Or perhaps simply a chubby male? It was difficult to be certain (humans still looked so much alike to him). The human froze, staring at them, their right eye squinted shut for some reason. First they looked at Sans, then Papyrus and Frisk. They swallowed, their face going a little pale. "H-hi..!" The voice was definitely female, almost childish in quality. The human fixed their glasses with one hand, averting their eyes from Papyrus as they skirted around him in a nervous sidestep.

Papyrus tilted his head to one side, turning to watch them. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO STARTLE YOU! I'M PAPYRUS!! THE GREAT PAPYRUS!! SINCE WE'LL BE LIVING TOGETHER, LET'S BE FRIENDS!!! UH," he scratched his maxilla thoughtfully with the hand not supporting Frisk's weight. "YOU DO LIVE HERE, CORRECT?"

The human opened the fridge door, wincing a bit as Papyrus spoke. They shoved one of their grocery bags (the entire grocery bag!) onto one of the empty shelves. "Y-yeah... Moved in earlier today... Sorry..." They didn't look at the taller skeleton monster, quickly closing the fridge door and placing the remaining two bags on the kitchen island. "Can I leave these here? They won't be in the way?"

"OF COURSE!!" Papyrus exclaimed. "IF YOU LIKE, I CAN SORT THROUGH IT AND PUT IT AWAY FOR YOU!!"

"You don't have to... I can do it when you're done in here. I'll just get out of your way..." They shuffled around the kitchen island again, sidestepping back around Papyrus to leave the kitchen area. They did not look at him the whole time.

Sans felt his smile tense. Did this human have a problem with monsters? "throw us a _bone_ , kid. I'm sans. you gotta name?"

The human backed away a few paces, twirling one of the long tendrils of hair in one hand, deepening the curls as they looked back down at the floor. "Uh... Krystal. Nice to meet you. Bye now." They spoke, not quite monotonously, but without much emotion, mumbling more than anything. The human (Krystal) turned and half walked, half ran into the dorm room down the opposite hall, the one closest to the bathroom, and shut the door behind them a little harder than necessary.

"DID I SAY SOMETHING WRONG?" Papyrus asked, looking at Sans.

Sans felt his hands curl into fists in his pockets. He wanted to say that no, Papyrus hadn't done anything wrong, that the human had been rude and was probably a bigot that would shun them because they were monsters, and not to pay them any mind. He wanted to say that the human probably didn't want them touching their food and getting monster germs all over it, that they didn't have the decency to look them in the eyes when they spoke and didn't deserve a second thought. But Sans knew Papyrus, knew his brother would not like to hear such words, especially of a person they had so little information about, because Papyrus was an amazing person with faith in not only monsterkind, but humanity. So he put on his best smile and shrugged. "not at all, bro. 'bet the human's just _bone_ tired. "

"SANS!" Papyrus groaned at the pun, distracted.

"aw, c'mon pap, _rib_ a little! "

"SANS!!" At this, Frisk started to giggle, nuzzling their face into Papyrus's shoulder to try and stifle the noise. "DO NOT ENCOURAGE HIM!!"

"you're so _sternum_! "

"SANS!!!"

"you're smiling!"

"I AM AND I HATE IT!"

Huffing, Papyrus set the still giggling Frisk back down on the floor, returning to his task of putting the groceries away. With Frisk's help, he soon had all the noodles, tomatoes, and other spaghetti ingredients tucked away safely. Papyrus ended up pulling out the bag the human had left in the fridge in order to make more room. Sans watched as Papyrus took each item out carefully and found a place for them in the fridge as well: two bottles of brand-name ketchup, a tub of raw cookie dough, a bottle of worcestershire sauce, a jar of store bought tomato sauce (which Papyrus made a face at), a box of butter sticks, and 4 bags of shredded cheese (two mozzarella, a cheddar, and a mexican blend). Papyrus then turned his attention to the bags left on the island counter. Inside were four packages of tortillas, two packages labeled 'pizza dough', hot dog buns, an assortment of spices, a dozen cans of broth (beef and vegetable), and a net filled with onions.

Sans raised an eyebrow ridge. What the hell was 'Paprika'? Why have hotdog buns without any hot dogs? Who needed that many onions?

"WOWWIE!" Papyrus exclaimed, holding up the netting bag of onions and examining them with great interest. 

"THE CRYSTAL HUMAN SEEMS TO BE AN EXOTIC COOK!! DO YOU THINK THEY WILL TEACH ME HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING??"

Sans thought back to the human's cold reception. He highly doubted they would want to interact with Papyrus at all (a thought which made his blood burn). He smothered his ire, smiling up at his brother. "you could ask, but they might be busy. we're all here to go to school after all. bound to be a ton of homework."

"I DIDN'T THINK OF THAT!" Papyrus thought out loud. "I WOULD HATE TO INCONVENIENCE THEM!!"

Sans smiled more gently at his brother, watching him thoughtfully put the human's food out neatly on the counter, where they could find it all easily, and the spices in the cupboard. His brother was so cool, always thinking of others in his own way.

Frisk tugged on Sans's sleeve, looking up at him. Sans smiled down at them. He read the worry on their face, the concern for them. It made his smile softer, more genuine. Here was a human with kindness and compassion. Here was proof that not all of them were rotten. "don't worry, kiddo. we'll be fine. but, hey," Sans took Frisk's hand, grinning wider. "tori's gonna worry about ya if we don't get you home soon. c'mon kid, I know a shortcut."

"BYE, TINY HUMAN!!" Papyrus called as Sans led the child away. "SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND!!"

Frisk waved as they left with Sans, smiling to mask the worry for their tall friend. They did not know what to think of the new human, the new roommate, either.


	2. Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus's First Day of College, wherein they interact with their new roommate a little, and come to their own conclusions based on their own experiences.

Papyrus woke up the next day bright and early. He pulled on his new civilian clothing (he wasn't used to being out of his Battle Body so often anymore, but it wasn't a terrible change) and checked himself in the mirror. Pleased that he looked respectable, he left his new dorm room (he was in college! YAY!) and knock on his brother's door.

"GOOD MORNING SANS!"

No answer. Papyrus had been expecting that. He knocked again, his voice getting louder, but no less cheerful. "SANS! IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP!!" Still no answer. Papyrus smiled softly, checking the doorknob to see if it was locked. Finding it gave to his attempts, Papyrus went inside. Sure enough, there was Sans, sleeping soundly on his bed. In his cloths. From yesterday. "GOOD MORNING SANS!!" Papyrus said again, shaking his brother by the shoulder gently.

Sans blinked groggily, roused not only by the loud voice, but the contact. "mornin' bro..." He mumbled, wiping the rims of his eye sockets with his jacket sleeve, dabbing away the moisture that had accumulated there in the night.

Papyrus hugged his brother. "GET UP, LAZYBONES! AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! YOU CAN'T GO TO YOUR FIRST DAY OF HUMAN EDUCATION LOOKING LESS THAN YOUR BEST!! NYEH HEH HEH!!"

Sans yawned, nodded in acquiescence. "sure..." He slid to the floor, yawning as he half stumbled, half fell into his closet, catching himself on a hanger that only just managed to support his weight. Papyrus chuckled. Sans had never been a morning person, and it was sometimes frustrating, but seeing him try was more than enough to satisfy Papyrus. Sans hadn't always bothered to try.

"I'LL GET STARTED ON BREAKFAST!" Papyrus chirped, leaving the room as Sans began wrestling to undress. Papyrus made his way into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves to his elbows in anticipation of this culinary art...

...Only to find someone already in there.

It was the human. Her hair, which yesterday had had a subtle shine to it, was frizzy, random strands knocked out of the two columns of curls that still hung down each shoulder. Shoulders which were bare, as the human was wearing a white spaghetti strap tank top and sky blue boxer shorts, both of which had tiny holes in them from frequent use. Papyrus had never seen so much skin in one place. As he approached, he could make out the slight protrusions in her back, where her scapulae created contours to each side of her spine. The human pressed her hands to the small of her back, bending backwards slightly, and Papyrus heard the gentle crack of bones shifting.

He felt his cheeks get hot. Were all adult humans this vulgar in the morning?!

Then there was a soft click, and Papyrus's attention was drawn to the small device the human was standing watch over. It was the size of her head, steam rising from inside in barely discernible streams, a faint sizzling audible from within. The human carefully lifted the lid, revealing what looked like the tortillas he had stacked yesterday. Using a spatula, the human carefully scooped the thing onto a plate.

It smelled like cheese and grease. It was dripping with it.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Papyrus asked out loud, his disdain for the seemingly unhealthy concoction barely hidden in his enthusiasm to learn something new.

The human jumped, almost dropping the plate. She turned, looking Papyrus up and down with those nervous eyes he remembered from yesterday, the right one squinted shut again. After a moment, the human relaxed, looking down at their food. "It's a quesadilla."

"WHAT IS IN IT?"

The human cringed, ducking their head slightly. "Cheese... I usually put spices in too, but..." She looked up at the cupboards, which were ajar. "...never mind..."

Papyrus looked between the human and the cupboards, his mind racing to fill in the blanks. His eyes went wide as he saw the discrepancy. "ARE THE CUPBOARDS TOO HIGH?!" He asked, concerned. When he had put the foodstuffs away, he hadn't thought about whether the human could reach or not. He had never had to be concerned, since he was the only one who cooked at home. "I AM SO SORRY! I SHALL PULL YOUR SPICE THINGS DOWN RIGHT NOW!!"

The human cringed again, although not as hard. "You don't have to. I'll just get a stepladder or something..." The human waved her hand dismissively, turning away from Papyrus and beginning to scarf down her greasy breakfast.

Papyrus looked them up and down. He felt his insides shudder in phantom sympathy for the poor stomach that was being subjected to all that cheesy grease. "IS THAT REALLY ALL YOU'RE EATING FOR BREAKFAST?!"

The human looked back at him. "Uh..."

"UNACCEPTABLE!!" Papyrus exclaimed, turning to the fridge. "YOU MUST JOIN MY BROTHER AND I FOR A NICE HEALTHY BREAKFAST OF SPAGHETTI!!"

The human inhaled their meal, taking a few steps back. "Thanks, but, uh, no thanks. It would be wasted on me..." She put the plate they used in the sink, rinsing off their hands and mouth quickly.

Papyrus, pulling out of the fridge, his hands full of the necessary ingredients for his work, watched in confusion. Was she getting rid of the greasy feeling? If she didn't like that feeling, why eat the food that caused it? Humans were truly enigmas!

The human dried her hands on her shirt, revealing some of their stomach and sides in the process, walking around the island counter to leave the room. Papyrus saw Sans, dressed in clean cloths, standing in the doorway. He was staring at the human in much the same way Papyrus was sure he had done himself, a faint blue glow dusting his maxilla and nasal ridge. The human didn't seem to notice, walking passed him and heading back to her room.

Sans and Papyrus exchanged looks.

What kind of roommate did they have?!

\-------

Sans trudged into his first class of the day. It was called 'World History' on his schedule, and required a large, expensive text book, a copy of which he now carried under his arm. He was about five minutes late, having stopped to admire the early morning sun cast little pink lights over the clouds on the horizon. For Sans, it had been worth it.

As Sans entered the classroom, the professor (a stern looking human male in boring khaki pants and a beige sweater-vest, who sported grey hair that looked to be thinning on his head, and thickening on his upper lip in a bushy mustache), looked up from the whiteboard where he had been writing his name in a font (handwriting) as dull and unimaginative as his voice, which cut off at the sound of the door opening. Sans felt those beady brown eyes bore into him, as intrusive as any CHECK he had been subjected to. He felt sweat start to form on his skull, his grin stretching thin on his face.

The professor put down his marker with a definitive clack on the aluminum shelf at the base of the whiteboard, turning with all the dignity and ease that befit his years to pick up a clipboard that had been left on the desk at the front of the room. "Name?" he asked in a calm voice, which conveyed both a polite inquiry and a regal demand at the same time.

"uh, sans." Sans replied, trying to keep his sudden nervousness from his voice. Were all human teachers this intimidating? He felt like he had been drawn into a FIGHT.

"Sans Serif?" The professor asked incredulously, tapping twice at the paper on the clipboard. Sans heard a few snickers from the other students. Apparently, something about his name was intrinsically funny. The professor looked at him again, eyes even more judging, as though he too thought it was a joke, and was not amused.

"yup," Sans answered, shifting his stance to something more relaxed. It made him feel a little better.

"Well, then, Mr. Serif," the professor said, making a mark on the paper that felt like an attack to Sans, "I'd like to inform you that _tardiness_ is not appreciated in my classroom." He looked up at Sans as he set the clipboard down gently. "As this is the first day, I will excuse your ignorance. However, in the future, if you intend to arrive late, **don't arrive at all**. Are we clear?"

Sans bristled. "crystal." he managed.

The professor smiled, although it did not meet his eyes. "Good. Now take a seat." he turned back to the whiteboard, and resumed where he had left off at in his introductory speech.

Sans let his body relax. He scanned the room, looking for a seat. The room was filled with long wooden tables lined up in rows, with chairs set side by side along them, facing the front of the room where the professor stood. Most of the chairs were full, but he soon spotted something familiar. There, in the back most corner, her right side flush against the wall, sat his human roommate. She was wearing her faux fur ears, making her stand out like a sore thumb among the other humans. And next to her was the last empty seat.

Sans sighed. He made his way over, gripping the back of the chair. When he pulled, he felt there was weight that there shouldn't be. He looked down. There was a sizable leather bag sitting in the seat of the chair. He stared at it, unsure what to do. After a few breaths, the human took hold of the bag, yanking it into her lap quickly, then sliding it between her and the wall. "Sorry..." She whispered, her eyes never leaving the professor in the front.

Sans sat down, putting his book on the table in front of him. He heard shuffling to his left, heard the human (a burly male with the beginnings of stubble on his chin) slide his chair further away from Sans. Sans felt his smile tighten again. He bet his roommate would be sliding away too if she had the room. Well, it wasn't like he was here to make friends.

But Papyrus...

"Mr. Serif?"

Sans snapped himself back to attention. "yeah?"

"Please answer the question." The professor said with exasperation, and a hint of sadistic amusement. Sans could read him plainly: he knew Sans hadn't been listening, and was expecting him to answer incorrectly. Sans took a deep breath, about to admit to his lapse in judgement, when he saw motion from the corner of his eye.

The human had written something down on a scrap of paper. He stared at it for a heartbeat, unsure whether or not to trust it. But he had nothing to lose:

"seventeen seventy-six."

The professor looked surprised, then scowled. "Correct..." He turned back to the whiteboard, returning to his lecture.

Sans rubbed his hand over his skull, suppressing a groan that wanted desperately to be voiced. He looked over at the human in the animal ears. She was now scribbling notes in small neat handwriting, with curves and straight lines in a pattern that was both aesthetically pleasant and functional. She was not looking at him, but instead at the whiteboard, squinting to make out some of the text as she tried to keep up with the lecture.

Sans simply listened, following along in the book lazily.

_Her font was nice._

He hadn't expected that.

At the end of class, all the humans started scrambling to exit the room. Sans watched with curiosity, and a little nervousness. It was like a stampede. The noise of their boisterous voices was almost deafening compared to the pseudo quiet of the class proper. So he waited, running his phalanges over the smooth hardback cover of his textbook.

The human did not move either. She sat staring at the empty table space in front of her, clutching her leather bag like a lifeline, her fingers scratching at the closed teeth of one of the zippers. She cringed, shrinking in on herself as the noise in the room rose. She didn't relax until the noise was all but gone, the voices fading into the distance as the humans migrated down the hall.

Only then did she look at Sans.

And Sans looked back.

They stared at each other for a few moments, then the human got up quietly, pulling out her cell phone and checking it as she made her way out of the room.

Sans sat there a few more moments, his mind working to parse the information he had gleaned. Sans was very good at reading people. He knew that was true. He prided himself on it.

So he knew he wasn't imagining it when he saw that the human had been uncomfortable because of the other humans.

\-------

Papyrus was standing nervously in the middle of campus, studying the map he had been given. He was having difficulty navigating the maze of buildings that all looked alike, with no discernible pattern. He had no idea humans liked puzzles so much! From what Papyrus had seen, puzzles were as much a tradition up here on the surface as they had been Underground! And the complexity of human mazes trumped anything Papyrus had seen before. On paper, it was easy enough to find ones way (he had proved as much with a light pencil mark), but when he had tried to actually walk the route he had outlined, he had found it surprisingly difficult to get his bearings. Landmarks which should have been evident were absent, and there were walls which had not been indicated on the map.

Papyrus was about to try another route (he had worked out 3 more since the last one failed), when he spotted something fuzzy weaving its way through the crowd. It was the Crystal Human! His new human roommate! He carefully picked his way through the crowd of other humans (who were kind enough to make a clear path for him when they saw him coming, how nice!), closing the distance between himself and the human wearing the furry ears.

"HUMAN! CRYSTAL HUMAN!!" Papyrus called. He was about to call again when he saw the human was wearing what appeared to be headphones on their real human ears. She must not have heard him! So he tapped her on the shoulder. The human jumped, turning quickly. She looked at his shoes first, then her eyes traveled up to his face. Papyrus smiled warmly. "HELLO THERE, HUMAN!" He said, waving.

The human pulled her headphones off, letting them settle around her neck. "Hi..." She said softly, barely audible in the din of the crowd.

Papyrus, however, was a very good listener, and heard her just fine. "HUMAN! HAVE YOU SOLVED THIS MAZE YET?"

The human looked at Papyrus as though they were confused. "What maze?"

"THIS ONE! THE ONE THE SCHOOL IS BUILT IN!" He grinned wider. "YOU HUMANS ARE VERY GOOD AT PUZZLES TO HAVE MADE ONE SO ELABORATE!!"

The human looked at him again, seemingly more confused, which only confused Papyrus. "Are you lost?" She asked, her voice a little louder, more firm.

Papyrus felt his face flush. "WELL, TECHNICALLY, I AM NOT LOST. I KNOW WHERE I AM. HOWEVER, THEREIN LIES THE PROBLEM: I AM NOT WHERE I SHOULD BE, AND YOUR EXCELLENT MAZE HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO FIND MY WAY THERE!" He held up the map. "EVEN WITH A GUIDE THIS MAZE IS TROUBLESOME! TRULY COMMENDABLE!!"

The human looked at the map, her mouth shifting from side to side as she thought. "That map is outdated. It doesn't have any of the new construction... Uh..." She looked back at Papyrus. "Do you... want me to show you the way?"

Papyrus glanced briefly at his watch. If he didn't hurry, he would surely be late, and that just would not do for his first day. So he bit back his pride, put on a thankful smile, and said, "THAT WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL, HUMAN!" Normally, Papyrus would have preferred to work out a puzzle himself, but he just couldn't afford it right now. It hurt a little, but sometimes you had to accept that you needed help. And Papyrus was not so vain as to think he had every answer. Just... most of them.

The human nodded solemnly, as though she understood the gravity of what it meant to Papyrus to admit his defeat. "Follow me..." She headed off. Papyrus followed close by, paying attention to the landmarks. At first, the human followed rather closely the first route Papyrus had tried. Then, when she got to the spot that had confused Papyrus (there was a wall where there shouldn't have been!), the human went inside the nearby building. Papyrus was surprised, but followed. The human then went up a floor, and exited through a doorway that lead out to a large red bridge, which transversed the roof of the new structure that had barred Papyrus's path.

Papyrus gasped in delight of the idea, looking over the railing to view the campus. "HOW SNEAKY! MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO NAVIGATE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH BUILDINGS!! YOU WIN THIS ROUND, HUMAN MAZE!!" Papyrus looked back at the human, who had a small smile playing across her face. "WHERE TO NEXT?"

The human pointed down the bridge, continuing on. Papyrus followed, thinking of all the ways he could use a similar system to confound others in his own puzzles. Meanwhile, the human led him right to the entrance of the building he required.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE, HUMAN!"

"No big deal..." She responded shyly, softly again. "I gotta go, my class is in building E."

"I SHALL SEE YOU BACK IN THE DORM THEN, HUMAN!!" Papyrus said congenially. "AND AS A THANK YOU, I SHALL TREAT YOU TO MY WONDERFUL COOKING FOR DINNER!"

"Thats... very nice of you..." she said, as though she were surprised. Well, that was understandable. She did not yet know Papyrus very well, so of course she would not know that he was nice! She waved as she began walking away, pulling her headphones back over her human ears. Papyrus waved back, turning to enter the building that had eluded him.

In all the excitement, Papyrus realized he had forgotten the room number for his class. He looked down at the map, where he had made a note of it, just in case of this very situation. Then he froze, his fingers tensing around the paper.

The human had said their class was in building E.

Building E was on the clear other side of campus..!

\-------

Sans sauntered out of the elevator onto the 4th floor of building E for his last class of the day. He was 10 minutes early, so as to avoid the stink eye from yet another instructor (turned out the other 3 were just as adamant about punctuality as the first had been). He looked out the tiny rectangular window in the hallway, admiring the first twinklings of starlight in the night sky. _Stars_ , real stars were beautiful.

Sans regretfully pulled himself away from the window, following the signs in the hallway to the room his class was to take place in. As he turned the final corner, he noticed something on the floor.

Once more he was drawn to the furry ears that sat, a tad askew now, on the human's head.

The human was sitting cross legged on the floor, their leather bag in their lap, slumped over it. Their eyes were shut. Sans could just barely hear their soft rhythmic breathing. _And Sans thought he could sleep anywhere!_

Sans clicked his teeth thoughtfully. He wondered why the human was here. There were better places to nap than a tile floor. Safer ones too. It was pretty late out...

Sans jumped at the sound of an alarm ringing. The human jumped too, jerking awake and fumbling desperately for something in her bag. She pulled out her phone and turned off the alarm, clutching their chest as she pushed down the adrenaline rush. She wiped her mouth, removing a thin layer of drool, and sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"that was quite _alarming_. " The human jumped again, looking up sharply. Sans couldn't help but grin. Wow, were they unobservant. He leaned against the wall. "what'cha doing here at this time of night?"

The human stood up, brushing floor gunk off her pants. "Waiting for class to start."

"what class?"

"Astronomy," They said, looking away.

Sans blinked. "ya don't sound too excited, kid."

"Don't call me a kid," the human muttered, sliding the strap of the bag over her head.

Sans looked her up and down, reading her body language. She moved stiffly, as if she'd been in an uncomfortable position for an extended period of time (possibly hours). She shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet, then back to her heels, averting her gaze from him. Then she started to put pressure on the joints of her fingers.

Pop.

Pop.

Pop.

Sans swallowed, his body jerking with each soft creak of shifting bone. He watched as she arched her back, and he heard her spinal column settle with a soft crack.

"stop that..!" Sans practically pleaded.

The human looked up. "Hmm?" She looked at him, her face thoughtful, then realization spread across it. "Oh. Sorry. I guess it's kind of annoying..." She looked sullen, guilty, and regretful all at the same time, rubbing her wrists thoughtfully, kneading the slender bones through the thin layers of skin.

 _Annoying_ was not the word, but Sans didn't correct her. He looked away, trying to compose himself. Was she doing that on purpose? He knew Frisk was a chronic FLIRT, but was that just something all humans did? Or, did she even realize what she was doing?

Sans eyed her again as other people started trickling into the hall. For once, it looked like there were a good number of monsters included in this class. Sans recognized a few, smiling and waving in friendly acknowledgment. He noticed the human stiffen, her posture becoming more tense as more people crowded the hall. He wondered if it was because they were monsters... or perhaps it was simply because it was a crowd?

The professor was the last to arrive, weaving carefully through the throng of students to unlock the classroom door. The human was the first to slip inside. Sans found she had taken position in the back of the classroom, up against the wall.

Sans waited for everyone else to take a seat, watching the human. They kept their eyes down to the table, playing idly with a pen they procured from their bag. There were plenty of empty seats in this class, so Sans sat in the back, four chairs over from the human. However, once the lecture began, Sans focused on the professor. This was a subject that entranced his SOUL, that made him tingle with the desire to learn more. He listened raptly to everything the instructor said, growing genuinely excited as each part of the lesson plan for the semester was described.

And then the class was over, and the spell was broken.

Sans sighed, leaning back in his chair. How long had it been since his scientist heart had been moved? Years. Literal years, and longer. So much longer. Time beyond time longer. He smiled. They had a telescope here. A big one. He would have to see about getting some time with it.

Sans was drawn from his revery by the gentle scrap of the chair to his right. He looked out of the corner of his eye socket. The human was leaving now. She passed him. He stood up, following her out. She pressed the button for the elevator, then began to sway from side to side, humming softly. Sans watched impassively until the elevator opened and they both stepped inside.

"What floor?" The human asked, as if out of habit.

"ground."

The human pressed the button. The elevator door closed. The human kept their back to Sans, pointedly not looking at him.

Sans took his chance.

"listen, kiddo-"

"Don't call me 'kiddo,' either," the human said, a hint of venom in their voice.

Sans ground his teeth, his grin straining. "listen, we gotta talk."

The human went stiff again, her body language screaming at him now nervous and uncomfortable she was. "About?"

"our living arrangement."

"W-what about it..?" the human asked softly.

Sans paused. Was that hurt in their voice? Fear? He schooled his voice, trying to tread carefully. "i need to know where ya stand."

"On what?"

"me and paps. you got a problem with us? do i need to be worried about you messing with my brother?"

"Mess with your brother..? You mean the other guy in the dorm?" The human asked, shifting their weight nervously from foot to foot. "He's-" She bit back her words, her hand curling and uncurling into a fist. "...I don't have any problems with you guys." she said evenly, slowly, forced. Sans could tell - that was a lie, or at least a part of it was.

"just so you know, if you hurt him, **you're gonna have a bad time**. "

The human covered her mouth with her hands, her face lighting up bright red. Her shoulders shook, a guttural, nasally noise escaping into the air. Sans watched, curious. He'd never seen that reaction before, at least not to his threat (which was really a promise). As soon as the elevator opened, the human ran out of it, almost tripping in their effort to get outside.

And then Sans heard the laughter.

The human was _laughing_.

Sans went outside, looking around in the dark. The human wasn't hard to find. She was sitting on a bench a few feet away, holding her sides, laughing hysterically. Sans couldn't help but smile at it. It was infectious. And lovely. As a comedian, Sans could appreciate a good laugh.

He just couldn't understand what had caused it.

After a few minutes, the human calmed down, taking deep breaths as the last few giggles escaped into the night air. Sans decided that was the time to approach. "guess that makes me _comic_ sans. "

The human snorted, suppressing another bought of giggles. Sans smirked. The human took off her glasses, wiping at her eyes. A giggle turned into a hiccup, which turned into a sob. "I'm so sorry..." She gasped into the night, voice low, almost desperate. "I didn't mean to laugh, I swear, I didn't... I'm sorry..!" She got up, walking fast, heading toward the dorms. Holding her face in one hand, her body shaking. She did not look at him.

Sans stood there, hands in his pockets, wondering just what had happened.

What kind of roommate did they have?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon is that the joint-popping thing is kinda... um... lewd-ish to skeletons.
> 
> Papyrus is just being the sweet cinnamon roll we all know and love. But just because he is an optimist doesn't mean he's dumb
> 
> Sans is the observant guy, the one who can read people like a book. he can see there is something seriously off with his new roommate... and maybe he jumped to the wrong conclusion yesterday?
> 
> Yes, you read that right: Sans squeezed 5 classes into a single day. Why? So he could have more days in the week where he had no class at all


	3. Day 1 -- Human Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A view of their first day from the Human's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fucking triggered the hell out of me to write.  
> holy fuck.

"GOOD MORNING SANS!" Screeched a voice that was irritatingly cheerful.

Krystal groaned softly into her pillow, her head already beginning to burn in the smoldering beginnings of a headache. Why? Why were her new roommates so _loud_?! And who the fuck was that loud _this early in the morning?!_

"SANS! IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP!!"

 _Apparently her roommates, thats who._ She fumbled blindly for the phone she was certain she had put on the bedside table, not wanting to open her sensitive eyes quite yet. Eventually, she gave up, and cracked the left one open, hissing as the dim light sent her sensitive light receptors into overdrive. The headache grew from a smolder to a dull ache, planting itself behind her right eye. She squinted, her already bad vision made worse by the oversensitivity, but managed to spot the blurry white blob that was her phone, and swiped it.

**[ 6:35 AM ]**

"GOOD MORNING SANS!!"

"Fuck me..." Krystal snarled feebly to the heavens she was certain had deserted her. She crawled out of bed, slinking out of her room to go find something to eat. Food (or more specifically, caffeine) always seemed to help her get started in the morning. She didn't bother getting dressed: those roommates of hers were going to see her in her pajamas at some point, right? So who cares?

Not her. Not at _six-fucking-thirty in the mother-fucking-morning_.

Krystal stumbled, half blind into the kitchen, being too out of it to remember to put on her glasses. She groped at the fridge door, squinting again, searching for the familiar red of a coca-cola can. Her fingers wrapped around a red blob set in the door, but when she pulled it out, she discovered it was just her ketchup bottle.

 _Shit. SHIT!_ She forgot to get coke yesterday! Dropping the ketchup back into the slot it had come from, Krystal snatched at the bags of cheese she saw were tucked away neatly in the front of the drawer, letting the door fall shut on its own as she ripped open the tortilla bag on the counter and pulled out two of the flour shells inside. She was thankful she had set up the quesadilla maker before she had left to go shopping. She popped it open and dumped all the ingredients inside with speed that only came from practice. Then she looked around for a sign of her spices. They weren't on the counter, so maybe they were in the cupboard? She reached up, trying to pry the door open. She had to stand on her tippy toes just to reach the lowest shelf. Thankfully, she managed to slide a plate from it's position there, but she couldn't reach the spices in the other cupboard, thanks to them being higher up.

"GET UP, LAZYBONES! AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! YOU CAN'T GO TO YOUR FIRST DAY OF HUMAN EDUCATION LOOKING LESS THAN YOUR BEST!! NYEH HEH HEH!!"

Giving up on the spices, Krystal topped off her quesadilla and snapped the lid shut, plugging in the machine with a sigh. After seeing the dull light pop on, she stood back from the counter that was just a hair too high for her comfort, rubbing her face, trying to will the pounding headache that had only gotten worse. At least her eyes were acclimating to the level of light. It was no longer painful to keep her one good eye open.

"I'LL GET STARTED ON BREAKFAST!"

Krystal winced. Her headache grew in power, phantom pressure growing around her right eye, making it feel as though the organ would be squeezed out of her socket. She squinted the eye shut, wiping moisture away, pressing the heal of her hand to it in an attempt to trick her body into thinking that the internal pressure was being nullified.

At least it was her blind eye that was being a bitch today.

The pressure fell back a bit, leaving Krystal feeling stiff and even more tired. She gripped the small of her back, bending backwards until she felt the satisfying crack of her spine popping. _Fuck_ did that feel good. She needed to find a masseuse or some shit, if her clumsy work on her own back felt so goddamn good.

Then there was a soft click, and she looked back down at the now steaming device. She carefully lifted the lid, fearful of burning herself. It wouldn't be out of character to accidentally grip the burning hot pan and cook her hand like a dumbass. Looking down at the food, she realized she didn't know how she was going to pry the damn thing off the machine. She squinted around quickly, seeing a spatula hanging on the wall under the cupboards. She swiped it, and with a little extra care, scooped the cheesy delight onto a plate.

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

Krystal jumped. Holy shit that came from like right next to her!! And fuck was it _loud!!!_ Her headache sprang back in full force, the pressure enough to make her eye water. Squinting it shut, she turned.

Holy fuck. She could swear she was seeing a skeleton monster towering over her! She thought she was seeing things yesterday (not that she stuck around to get a look, not with that beastly thing that had been hanging around, making her skin crawl). It looked so real! Maybe she had finally gone full schizo, like in her nightmares. She swallowed. That was a possibility. She was already pretty fucked up in the head. She was probably just seeing things. Yeah. No need to freak out. If she freaked out, then everyone would know. She couldn't handle being fussed over right now. She'd start seeing her shrink again after the semester was over, when she had time. Until then, relax and pretend nothing is wrong.

Krystal forced herself to relax. He (it was a 'he' right? The voice indicated male, and the pelvis was narrow) had asked a question, right? Answer the question. That was the polite thing to do. She looked down at her food. Yeah, it had been about her food. "It's a quesadilla."

"WHAT IS IN IT?"

 _AAAAH THE VOLUME!! SWEET JESUS WHY WAS HE SO LOUD?!?!_ Krystal cringed, wishing she could just curl up in a ball and hide. Focus. Focus on the food. Talk about the food. "Cheese... I usually put spices in too, but..." She looked up at the cupboards, still a little frustrated with herself. "...never mind..."

The (skeleton?) guy looked between her and the cupboards. Krystal took a moment to admire her fantasy. He was tall, and his facial features were pronounced, handsome by some standards, although it didn't quite fit her aesthetic. She was rather jealous of how white he had managed to keep his teeth (or was that part of the hallucination?). The eye sockets seemed to emit a soft orange glow, which got a little brighter suddenly. "ARE THE CUPBOARDS TOO HIGH?!" He asked, the concern in his voice evident even to someone as unobservant as Krystal. "I AM SO SORRY! I SHALL PULL YOUR SPICE THINGS DOWN RIGHT NOW!!"

Krystal cringed again. _Even if he was trying to be friendly why must he be so LOUD?!?!_ She tried not withdraw as much, knowing it might be perceived as rude. She also wanted to quickly reassure the person who clearly had some claim to the kitchen, given the effort they had put into putting the thing in order. "You don't have to. I'll just get a stepladder or something..." She waved her hand dismissively, turning away from the guy so she could begin to scarf down her greasy breakfast. _Cheese was so good dear god yes!_

"IS THAT REALLY ALL YOU'RE EATING FOR BREAKFAST?!"

Krystal stopped eating, looking back at the guy in confusion. "Uh..." Had she overstepped some boundary? Was she expected to cook for them, since she had started cooking first? Was there some social custom she had overlooked?

"UNACCEPTABLE!!" He exclaimed, turning to the fridge. "YOU MUST JOIN MY BROTHER AND I FOR A NICE HEALTHY BREAKFAST OF SPAGHETTI!!" Krystal felt all her anxiety shoot to the forefront of her mind. She quickly stuffed the last of her meal down her throat, taking a few steps back. She was such a picky eater, with taste and texture and consistency and a whole host of other things to consider, she couldn't possibly accept someone else, especially a stranger, cooking for her. She would probably end up being unable to eat it, which was not only rude, but a waste of food! And then she would be labeled as an ungrateful bitch, which would ruin her chances of having any kind of friendly relations with her roommates. "Thanks, but, uh, no thanks. It would be wasted on me..." She put the now empty plate in the sink. She felt the grease from the cheese clinging to her lips and hands, so rinsed off out of habit. Drying her hands off on her shirt, again out of habit (it's not like there were paper towels to use anyway) Krystal made a hasty retreat. She passed another person (who looked like a skeleton to her too, although shorter and with a softer, more aesthetically pleasant bone structure). She kept her eyes on her now dry-ish hands, making the turn to return to her bedroom. If she was really seeing things, it could be worse. It could be undead creatures with actual rotting flesh, or giant spiders, or small children, or some kind of eldritch horror. Bones that moved around and glowed pretty colors she could handle, at least. She hoped she could handle it. 

\-------

Krystal dressed and left for class as quickly as her lazy out of shape body would allow, snatching up her bag, her keys, and the fox ears she always wore out before shuffling out the door. She shivered a little in the morning air, but it helped to clear her head. Although a clear head meant she could appreciate the excruciating pain in her right eye better. Which did not help her mood. She looked at her phone, scanning her new schedule. _Class 1: World History. Great. She fucking hated history._ She made her way to the classroom and say outside the door.

Occasionally, Krystal looked up, watching the other people pass by. She didn't see any more skeleton hallucinations, but that didn't mean the hallucinations were gone. Oh no, just different. She saw a rabbit person, a cat person, a.... thing that looked like one of those interpretive modern art pieces... a volcano with legs? Shit, she really was crazy. Best to keep her head down. _Nobody will know if you don't react._

Not like you ever kept your head up anyway, coward. You couldn't look people in the eye even before you went schizo!

The hour long wait was thankfully enough for her headache to subside (lucky her!). Usually they lasted a hell of a lot longer. Maybe it really was induced by her noisy ass roommate? She should really talk to him about the volume of his voice. But, then again, every other time she had tried that, it had only made it worse. What if he was offended? What if he was the type to enjoy making her uncomfortable, and just made himself louder? What if he was like her, and had no real control over his volume? That would make things awkward. Perhaps it would be better to suffer in silence...

The teacher arrived. Krystal scrambled to be the first in the room. The setup in this particular room was a mixed blessing: The room was filled with long wooden tables lined up in rows, with chairs set side by side along them, facing the front of the room where the professor now stood. Since Krystal absolutely HAD to have her back against a wall if she had any chance of being able to focus on class, and HAD to be secure in the knowledge that nobody would be walking behind her, that meant there was only one seat in the whole of the room that satisfied her needs: the one in the very back, wedged in the corner. She rushed to grab it before someone else did. She wasn't going to be able to convince anyone to trade seats with her. She had tried that before.

Krystal was getting her setup just right, carefully picking out just what color pen would be most conducive for writing notes on history, when the door opened, and the soft din that nobody else seemed to be bothered by except her blessedly fell silent. For one brief moment, she thought that maybe this would be a class that was actually quiet during lectures, that was actually focused on learning, that-

"Name?" the professor asked in a calm voice, which conveyed both a polite inquiry and a regal demand at the same time.

"uh, sans." a voice replied from near the door. A voice Krystal swore she recognized. She looked up. There was the guy she was hallucinating! The short skeleton!!

"Sans Serif?" The professor asked incredulously. Krystal heard a few snickers from the other students. She couldn't blame them, although she highly doubted that they all got the real irony of the joke. They couldn't see what she saw, after all.

"yup," Sans answered, looking like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Well, then, Mr. Serif," the professor said, "I'd like to inform you that _tardiness_ is not appreciated in my classroom. As this is the first day, I will excuse your ignorance. However, in the future, if you intend to arrive late, **don't arrive at all**. Are we clear?"

"crystal." Sans replied casually.

"Good. Now take a seat." with that settled, the professor turned back to the whiteboard, and resumed where he had left off at in his introductory speech.

The proverbial show over, Krystal turned her attention back to her notebook. She decided on red. Red would do well for history. Red was the color of blood, and that was all human history was about: who's blood ran in who's veins; who spilled who's blood where; how much blood was spilled on whatever day. Humans were truly monsters. Red was perfect for writing notes on human history.

Krystal realized there was a presence near her. She looked out of the corner of her eye. The skeleton (Sans? was his name Sans? she was terrible with names) was holding the back of the chair she had left her laptop bag in. After a moment, she realized he wanted to sit down, but was kind enough not to touch her things. Krystal quickly took hold of the bag, pulling it over to slide into the small area between her chair and the wall. "Sorry..." She whispered, not looking at him. She must seem like a selfish person, using a chair for her bag when the room was already so full. But she hadn't wanted to sit next to anyone if she could help it. Guess in this class it was unavoidable. Not like he would have chosen to sit next to her if he had a choice to begin with. She was the freak, after all.

Krystal listened to the teacher, and with irritation realized he was going on about _american_ history. He had apparently decided that he was going to grill them on it as an intellectual exercise. Krystal fought down a groan. She hated history with a fervor. Nothing but mindless memorization of events that half the time were easier to recount as generic fables than actual dates. Yes, she knew that those who failed to learn from history were doomed to repeat it, but learning ABOUT history didn't guarantee you would learn FROM it, otherwise surely the world would already be a much better-

"Who can tell me when the Declaration of Independence was signed? How about you, Mr. Serif?"

Krystal pulled herself out of her internal rant. American history still? This was so stupid.

"Mr. Serif??"

"yeah?"

"Please answer the question." The professor said with exasperation.

Krystal ground her teeth. This was _college_. Why was he asking questions everyone who grew up in the states had known since grade school? The only people not liable to know that answer were people who had grown up overseas or something. Wait, was that where Sans was from? Did the teacher think that? Was he _seriously_ doing this whole convoluted intro lecture just to pick on a foreigner?! Krystal wrote down the answer in the leftmost corner of her notebook, then carefully slid it over so if he wanted, Sans could have a better view.

"seventeen seventy-six." So either he already knew, or he had seen her note. Or maybe both, and now he thought she was a know-it-all snob with nothing better to do with her life than try and help other people cheat. Perfect. Another possible relationship ruined.

The professor then shifted his lecture to _actual_ world history. Krystal started scratching out notes like mad, hoping she was hearing him correctly. She tried to read the notes on the board, but her eyesight was garbage, so that wasn't much help. She wished life had made things easier on her, but maybe she was being spoiled. It wasn't like she had any real hardships. Just petty inconveniences like being half blind and having social-emotional mental disorders. Nothing worth crying over. Although that didn't stop her sometimes...

At the end of class, everyone started scrambling to exit the room. Krystal packed up her things quietly, fighting down nervousness. It was like a stampede. The noise of their boisterous voices was almost deafening compared to the pseudo quiet of the class proper. She wasn't going to be able to fight her way through that crowd. So she waited, keeping her eyes trained down at the now empty table space before her, holding tight to her bag. She fingered the zipper, distracting her overwhelmed senses with the gentle click of her nails against the plastic until the noise was all but gone, the voices fading into the distance.

Only then did she look up.

And her eyes fell on Sans.

And Sans looked back.

Wow was her imagination wild. He looked like a skeleton. Only the bone appeared malleable, bending and creasing to create facial expressions (not that she could read them anyway, he might as well have had a normal human skull for all the good it did her). She was fascinated with his eye sockets, though: the tiny pinpricks of light in the dark void of his skull were soothing to look at, like a blacklight or a lava lamp, only cool like the darkness they illuminated. It was a light she didn't feel pain looking at, which was a rarity in and of itself.

They were eyes she could look straight into without anxiety.

Krystal slowly pulled her gaze away, forcing herself to stop paying any attention to him. If she paid attention, she might get attached. That wasn't acceptable. Eventually she would get on some kind of drug, or go through some kind of bullshit therapy, and her hallucinations would vanish, and he would return to just being another disgusting, anxiety-inducing human. No more gentle light, no more smooth texture of bone, no more soft blue glow.

She got up and left him behind, pulling out her cell phone as she made her way out of the room. Next class wasn't for some time, but she would forget to go if she went back to her dorm. She was such a forgetful, lazy piece of shit, after all. Best to go and wait in the hall.

\-------

Krystal was making her way through the campus plaza, listening to some new j-pop music loud enough that she couldn't hear the terrifying roar of the crowd of humanity around her. _Just keep your head down, don't look at them, keep moving, you won't run into anything, you can see their feet and avoid collisions! Step in time to the music, you'll get there. 1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 2, 3, 4, lala la la laa laa~_

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Krystal jumped, turning quickly to see what had attacked her. Out of habit, her eyes started at the ground, seeing their shoes first, letting her vision gradually travel up... and up... and up until she was facing that tall guy (skeleton?) that had woken her up with his devastatingly loud voice. Was that a... smile? "HELLO THERE, HUMAN!" He said, waving.

Krystal realized this was a social confrontation, and forced herself to leave the safety of her headphones, letting them settle around her neck. On the bright side, his volume wouldn't have nearly as much impact now that they were outside, already surrounded by a noisy crowd. In fact, she might be able to use his voice as a focus point, to make enduring the pressure of the rest more bearable. "Hi..."

"HUMAN! HAVE YOU SOLVED THIS MAZE YET?"

Krystal wasn't sure what confused her more, the unusual (but accurate) moniker, or the question itself. Given that the use of the descriptor was likely due to not remembering her name, and she couldn't blame him for it, she decided to ignore it and focus on the more innocent question. "What maze?"

"THIS ONE! THE ONE THE SCHOOL IS BUILT IN! YOU HUMANS ARE VERY GOOD AT PUZZLES TO HAVE MADE ONE SO ELABORATE!!"

Krystal got the feeling that perhaps he was a little bit like her, his programming a bit askew from the usual. She took a moment to process his words into something that made more sense to her. Once she reached a translation that made sense, she asked for conformation on it's accuracy. "Are you lost?"

A soft orange glow spread across his face, which for some reason set Krystal at ease. "WELL, TECHNICALLY, I AM NOT LOST. I KNOW WHERE I AM. HOWEVER, THEREIN LIES THE PROBLEM: I AM NOT WHERE I SHOULD BE, AND YOUR EXCELLENT MAZE HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO FIND MY WAY THERE!" He held up a map. "EVEN WITH A GUIDE THIS MAZE IS TROUBLESOME! TRULY COMMENDABLE!!"

Krystal looked at the map, parsing his linguistic tendencies faster now (it was a relatively simple pattern once she started trying to understand it). A path had been marked in pencil, leading from the dorms to a building Krystal had had a class in a few years prior. She had used that same path a few times herself, before it became unviable. "That map is outdated. It doesn't have any of the new construction... Uh..." She faced him again. She hesitated. She didn't want to insult his intelligence, or make him feel like she was trying to butt into his affairs, but... she also wanted to be helpful. After all, they were roommates... and she wanted to try and be nice, while she could, before she really fucked up. "Do you... want me to show you the way?"

The tall fellow glanced briefly at his watch. "THAT WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL, HUMAN!"

Krystal nodded. "Follow me..." With that, she headed off. At first, the way was simple, just like the map had described. Then they approached the area where there had been construction two years ago. Krystal slowed her pace slightly as she went inside the nearby building. She made sure the tall guy was still following her before she went up a floor, and exited through a doorway that lead out to a large red bridge, which transversed the roof and led to the target building.

The tall guy gasped, looking over the railing to view the campus. "HOW SNEAKY! MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO NAVIGATE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH BUILDINGS!! YOU WIN THIS ROUND, HUMAN MAZE!!" Krystal felt herself smile. She looked out over the campus too. Besides all the people, it really was a nice view, with a lovely garden-like plaza and healthy plant life. The view of the sky was pretty good from here too. But what really made this a moment was the fact that Krystal could actually empathize with the guy's delight. She had to just stop and take in that moment, when she could actually make a connection of sorts with another person's heart. Times like these were so rare. He looked back at her. "WHERE TO NEXT?"

She supposed the moment was over, so she pointed down the bridge, continuing on until they were tight on top of the entrance of the building he had been looking for.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE, HUMAN!"

"No big deal..." Krystal responded. It really hadn't been. Anyone could have helped him, now that she thought about it. He could have asked any one of hundreds, and gotten here without trouble. She hadn't done anything special. She reached up and gripped her headphones, taking comfort from her sudden self-deprecation by feeling the smooth plastic in her palm. "I gotta go, my class is in building E."

"I SHALL SEE YOU BACK IN THE DORM THEN, HUMAN!! AND AS A THANK YOU, I SHALL TREAT YOU TO MY WONDERFUL COOKING FOR DINNER!"

Krystal swallowed. "Thats... very nice of you..." she said. It was a sweet gesture, if a misplaced one. Furthermore, she had hoped that the subject of food wouldn't come up again. Now she had to think of a way to get out of it without sounding ungrateful. She waved as she began walking away, pulling her headphones back on and wrapping herself in the safety blanket of music.

She didn't have to think about it now.

\-------

Krystal found the room for her astronomy class without incident. She inspected the hallway. There weren't any conveniently located power outlets, so long-term use of a laptop wasn't an option. Which meant she should probably start carting around her sketchbook.

With a sigh, Krystal sank to the floor near the door, pulling out her phone and setting the loudest most obnoxious alarm she had for 5 minutes before class started. Then she curled up around her bag, letting her weight settle on it, and allowed herself to drift to sleep.

The next thing she knew, the alarm was going off right next to her ear. She jerked awake, fumbling desperately for her phone to turn off screeching pulsation of sound. When she finally had it off, she clutched at her chest, pushing down the adrenaline rush. She had seriously slept like that for _how long?_ 10 hours? Shit, she was such a fucking waste of space. Krystal felt the sticky dampness on her face, and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, removing a thin layer of drool. _Fuck._ Bet there had been some embarrassing snoring involved too. Hopefully nobody she was going to have to interact with ever again had seen her. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"that was quite _alarming_. "

Krystal nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked up sharply. There was the other guy, the short one with the cute face (skull?). Sans? Yeah. Him. He looked like he was grinning. Probably laughing at her on the inside.

"what'cha doing here at this time of night?"

Krystal stood up, brushing floor gunk off her pants. "Waiting for class to start."

"what class?"

"Astronomy," She answered, looking away. She couldn't face him. She must look so fucking stupid. But hey, she _was_ stupid. Thats why she had to practically camp out in front of her classes. Otherwise she couldn't fucking function. Because she was a fucking retard that-

"ya don't sound too excited, kid."

Krystal's thought process was immediately derailed, her image complex roiling in outrage. How _dare_ he! How fucking _dare_ he call her a _child_!! Just because she still looked the same as she did 12 years ago, just because she had some chub to her cheeks along with the rest of her, just because her 15 years of heavy medication had stunted her development, leaving her chest flat and her voice squeaky, did NOT mean she was a _child_. "Don't call me a kid," she muttered, sliding the strap of the bag over her head. Yeah, that would totally show him. Like hell he'll even listen.

Fuck, her body hurt now. She couldn't sit on tile floor like she used to. Her ass and back ached something fierce, and all she wanted was to go home and lay in bed and never get up again. But she couldn't do that. She had to attend class.

Shifting her weight onto the balls of her feet, then back to her heels, Krystal made certain not to look at him. She couldn't look at him. She liked what she saw. You'd think she would be terrified, but the more she caught sight of him, the more she enjoyed her little hallucination. But he still made her nervous, the way those lights in his eye sockets seemed to pierce thought to her very soul, seeing her true self, seeing the ugly, disgusting, selfish, thoughtless, shallow excuse for a human being that she was. She groped at her left hand with her right, playing with the joints until she started popping them.

It was so satisfying. The sound was cathartic, and it made her fingers feel better, more loose.

"stop that..!" Sans growled, sounding upset.

Krystal looked up without thinking. "Hmm?" She caught sight of that face, which set her at ease for some inexplicable reason. Then she processed the words. "Oh. Sorry. I guess it's kind of annoying..." She forced her hand to slide down to the wrist, even though she wasn't done popping the joints and leaving her work unfinished was borderline painful. She thumbed the wrist bones, feeling the tiny divots and embossed tendons, wondering not for the first time if it was healthy to have such bony wrists.

Her eyes froze on him, and again she marveled at the genius of her imagination. A skeleton was perfect. Without skin or organs they were completely devoid of the sources of human anatomy that irritated her sensory issues. He was nothing but smooth bone and soft light. She briefly wondered what the texture of those bones would be: would they be hard like human bone? Or more pliable like styrofoam? Or maybe they were fuzzy! That would be interesting: layers and strands of bone so thin it swayed and gave like fur. It could be done with metals, so why not bone?

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of the elevator. People started trickling into the hall. More hallucinations than she had seen all day made themselves known. The skeleton illusion was especially friendly with them. She curled in on herself, trying to be as small and unassuming as possible. There were a lot of people crowding into such a comparatively small space, and while she was not claustrophobic, she didn't like being boxed in with strangers.

The professor was the last to arrive, weaving carefully through the throng of students to unlock the classroom door. Krystal managed to be the first to slip inside. She quickly took possession of the seat in the back of the classroom, up against the wall. She dug out her notebook and her pens. It didn't take long to decide on a color for this class: blue. Black would have worked well enough, but she decided blue would be better: the sense of calm, the aura of mystery, the sense of cold, while still evoking the idea that there was something to be discovered, something to be found and believed in. That was blue. That was astronomy. Playing with the pen, she wished she had the perfect shade of blue: the one in her hand was bright, full, more in line with the sense of oceanography or marine biology. She would have liked a darker, more vivid hue. However, it would do for now. She would just have to keep an eye out for a better fit.

She caught the motion of white and blue from the corner of her eye. Sans had sat down a few chairs away. Her eyes were drawn to his. As soon as the professor began speaking, using the overhead to show off a powerpoint detailing the class schedule and end goal, Sans's face lit up. She could have sworn there were literal stars in his eyes, the whites morphing in shape every so often. It was... well it was a sight, and it made her wish desperately to see it again. And again. And again. the effect was entrancing.

Then the overhead lights came back on, and the teacher dismissed the class. Krystal ducked her head back down, looking at her notebook. Shit. She hadn't made a single mark. She would have to be more diligent. Grinding her teeth until she felt a dull ache in her jaw, Krystal put her things away and carefully stood up. She pointedly did not look at Sans as she passed him to leave, focusing on her goal of the elevator until she hit the button.

The soft ding of the elevator made a song pop into Krystal's head. She allowed herself to be drawn into it, letting her body sway gently to the beat until the elevator opened and she stepped inside. Sans followed her in, his presence made known by the soft tap of his shoes on the tile.

"What floor?" She asked out of habit. It was elevator protocol to ask when you were the one closest to the buttons. She kicked herself, knowing before he spoke what the answer would be. She must look so stupid.

"ground."

Repressing a groan, she pressed the button. The elevator door closed. Krystal was sure her face was red. She was so easily flustered. She positioned herself so her back was to him, keeping her face as much out of view as possible.

"listen, kiddo-"

Krystal squeezed the strap of her bag, suppressing the sudden urge to turn around and strangle the smug little shit. She knew he wouldn't remember, or if he did, remember, wouldn't care. Nobody did. Nobody gave a rats ass how she felt. She was so tired of nobody caring. "Don't call me 'kiddo,' either," she snapped. She immediately regretted it. He was a stranger. Of course he wouldn't know how she felt. It wasn't like she had gone out of her way to explain things. She couldn't. It would only make things worse.

"listen, we gotta talk."

Krystal felt her heart drop down into her stomach, her body tensing almost painfully. "About?"

"our living arrangement."

There had been an edge of... something... in his voice. Oh god. She had fucked up. It had only been one day and she had fucked up. They were going to ask her to leave, to ask her to either find another dorm to live in, or to drop out. No, no, calm down. Maybe she could still salvage this. "W-what about it..?"

"i need to know where ya stand."

That wasn't what she had been expecting. "On what?"

"me and paps. you got a problem with us? do i need to be worried about you messing with my brother?"

"Mess with your brother..? You mean the other guy in the dorm?" Krystal thought out loud, shifting her weight from foot to foot, trying to make herself relax. "He's-" She stopped. _He's loud_ , she had been about to say. _He's so goddamn loud it makes her head feel like it's exploding!!_ But she couldn't go around saying things like that. They would just take offense. She flexed her hands, preparing herself to give a diplomatic lie. She was so bad at lying. Maybe though, they would like the answer enough to overlook it. "...I don't have any problems with you guys." And part of that was true. The only issue she had was that they were painfully loud and that she was seeing hallucinations of them as skeletons. Other than that? She couldn't complain.

"Just so you know, if you hurt him, **you're gonna have a bad time**. "

Oh no. He used an angry voice. Oh shit no. Krystal covered her mouth with her hands. She could feel the laughter trying to escape, feel the heat in her face. Her shoulders shook, and a snorted laugh which she could not keep in escaped into the air. _Why did angry voices make her fucking laugh?!_ Well, maybe not all of them, but some of them, and god damn did that intonation just flip the switch inside her! She had to keep control, just a little longer. She couldn't laugh at him now. Laughing while he was angry would only make him hate her more. Thankfully, the elevator opened. Krystal ran as fast as she could, almost losing her balance in the process, trying to put distance between her and Sans.

She made it outside.

And the dam broke.

Krystal sank onto the nearest park bench, clutching at her sides, unable and unwilling to fight down the laughter that shook her body. She gasped for air, feeling the painful burning in her chest that told her she had reached her limit, only to waste the scraps of oxygen she had managed to suck in on ridiculous unflattering cackles that filled the otherwise serene quite of the night. She knew, _knew_ Sans was watching her, and she burned with shame. She must look so foolish, so insensitive, snickering and tittering at what had been a serious issue to him. 

Thankfully, that knowledge helped to sober her, shortening what would have probably been a much longer fit. She took a few deep breaths, the tail end of her laughter escaping as breathy giggles.

"guess that makes me _comic_ sans. " The guy said, taking her unacceptable behavior in good humor.

Krystal snorted, doing her best to suppress another bought of giggles. She took off her glasses, wiping at her eyes, trying to keep herself from crying with shame. One of her giggles turned into a hiccup, which turned into a sob. "I'm so sorry..." She choked out, trying to express herself, but not able to find the words in the heat of the moment. "I didn't mean to laugh, I swear, I didn't... I'm sorry..!" She couldn't stand it. He had seen her make an utter fool of herself and she just could not stand it. She pushed herself to her unsteady feet, walking fast to maintain her balance, heading toward the dorms. Maybe she could beat him back, and she wouldn't have to face him.

Maybe she would just hide in her room and not come out ever again.

Oh, why was she such a horrible, awful piece of shit?

It was everything Krystal could do not to breakdown and cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah there is a lot wrong with this human.  
> and there are a lot of misunderstandings.


	4. Day 2 and 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sans has a lazy day, and later attempts to make peace with the human.  
> The human is less than helpful.

Sans rolled over and looked at his phone. It was 8 AM. He smiled. It was rare that his brother let him sleep in. Maybe it was because he knew Sans didn't have class today. Maybe it was because Sans had had a late class last night. It didn't matter. It was a sweet gesture from the usually pushy monster. Sans stretched, carefully and quickly popping his joints where (hopefully!) nobody would hear him. Sliding off the bed, he stuffed his socked feet in his favorite ratty white slippers and left the room.

Making his way to the livingroom, Sans flopped onto the large couch, snatching up the remote and turning on the TV. He listened to the news: no progress on the civil rights front; a protest down at city hall, consisting of anti-monster sentiments; a few incidents of humans assaulting humans; nothing new, nothing to get excited over. He sighed. What had he been expecting? Well, something worse, he supposed. He watched it for an hour before he flipped the channel, turning on Mettaton's show for some familiar white noise. It wasn't long before he was once again sleeping.

Sans came back to his senses thanks to his phone going off. He pulled it out, blinking moisture from his sockets.

"heya."

"Greetings, Sans! Is this a bad time?" The voice on the other end asked, polite and gentle.

Sans smiled. "not at all, tori. whassup?"

Toriel audibly shifted her grip on the other end of the receiver, the gentle brush of her fur making a wisping noise against the plastic. "Asgore just contacted me. Seems something has come up, and he cannot watch Frisk on Friday night." She paused. "I hate to be a bother, but would you..?"

"no bother at all. what time ya need me?"

The relief in her voice was palpable. "I have a class I'm teaching at the local college -- the one you are going to, if I remember correctly -- around 8. So can I just drop them off at your dorm around, say, 7?"

"sounds good to me. i don't have class on fridays anyway." he winked, even though he knew she couldn't see it. "wanna make it a regular thing?"

"Sans, that would be immensely helpful..! But I couldn't ask-"

"you're not asking. i'm offering. 'sides, paps love having the kid around. hey, since they were gonna come on saturday anyway, why not have 'em spend the night? i'm sure you can use some time to yourself."

"You two are wonderful..." Toriel breathed, sounding almost like she was going to cry. "...Knock-knock."

Sans grinned wide. "who's there?"

"Thank."

"thank who?"

"No, thank YOU, silly!" The monster said, laughing softly.

"no problem, tor. see ya friday."

The phone clicked off. Sans sat back, smiling. Papyrus was going to be ecstatic.

\-------

Krystal realized she was awake. She attempted to move, but her body felt heavy, as though the blood inside had slowed and hardened, her muscles either unable or unwilling to work as she instructed. Her head felt at once both heavy and light. She struggled to sit up, only managing to roll onto her back and blink incomprehensibly at the ceiling. She felt hot and sticky and tired and empty. Her eyes itched, but it was too much effort to rub them right now, so she closed them again.

What time was it?

Did she care enough to look?

She lay there, breathing slowly, drifting on the surface of the waters that she called sleep, wondering if she would sink and drown.

Then she heard a buzz. Her phone. Someone had texted her? Or maybe there had been a social media update? Curiosity tugged at her. She feebly reached for the phone on her night table. It took a few tries, but she managed to hook one of her fingers around the charger wire and pull it close enough to grab. Unplugging it, she cracked her tired eyes open and peaked at the time.

1:12 PM

Instinct kicked in. She did the math in her head. Yeah, she went to bed (cried herself to sleep) at maybe 11 last night? So thats... 14 hours? Give or take? She supposed that wasn't so bad, all things considered. She hadn't slept in till 5 this time. And today was wednesday, a day she had no classes. So she hadn't fucked up.

The notification field said there was a text message from her friend.

Text Message  
**Amy:** How was your first day?  
**Amy:** How are you getting along?  
**Amy:** Do you need anything? 

Krystal stared at the words impassively. _Oh, yeah, her day was great. She found out she's a fucking schizo and her roommates now know she's as unhinged as a broken door. A great goddamn start to another great goddamn semester._ But she couldn't say that. Hell, right now she didn't have the energy to say anything. Putting the phone in sleep mode, she let her hand fall to the side and closed her eyes again.

Her stomach growled. Her throat was dry. A tiny part in the back of her mind tried to call out and say that she needed to get up, to attend to the needs of her physical form. But Krystal couldn't hear it, and even if she had, she probably wouldn't have been able to make herself move. She was so heavy, so tired. And the bed was so very accepting. The darkness was so very accepting. She let herself sink into the cold, dark waters of oblivion, let herself forget how much it hurt inside, let herself cease to feel the loneliness she was unable to quench.

She let herself hide in the darkness.

\-------

Sans watched TV all day. He sat there, lounging on the couch, slurping the ketchup packets he had stolen from the campus cafeteria. Time ticked by in a way that was both invigorating and nostalgically subdued. He was wasting time, for the first time in he couldn't remember when, he was _wasting time_. He would never get these precious moments back. He would never be able to redo these minutes, these hours, this day. Never.

The kid had promised.

At 4, the front door opened.

"I'M BACK!!" Papyrus called, beaming as he hung his keys up on the rack.

"welcome home, bro." Sans greeted him, waving one hand lazily as he tore open the last condiment packet. He sucked it dry, tossing the husk of plastic into the pile on the coffee table next to where his feet were propped.

"HOW WAS YOUR DAY?" Papyrus asked, a hint in his voice saying he already knew based on the evidence Sans hadn't bothered to hide.

Sans smiled. "awesome."

"I SEE..." The taller skeleton scooped up the trash pile, carting it into the kitchen to throw away properly. "I HOPE YOU AND THE HUMAN ARE HUNGRY, BECAUSE TONIGHT I AM MAKING MY WONDERFUL SPAGHETTI!! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Sans chuckled, but then a thought struck him: The human had not come out of their room. All day. He slid his fingers along the arm of the couch, uncertain what to think. Should he be worried? Should he not care? Surely the human knew what was necessary for their well being without the need of his intervention...

But after last night...

Sans got up, making his way to the human's bedroom. He knocked on the door. "hey, ki- uh, buddy?" Sans remembered how upsetting those terms had made the human last night. "you there?" He waited, listening. No response. He knocked again. "listen. uh, sorry for _rattling_ you last night. didn't mean to get _under your skin_. " That was a lie: he had meant to scare the human spitless, to make sure they knew there would be consequences for their actions. He had wanted to make certain they would never dare hurt Papyrus.

He had not meant to make them laugh. Or cry.

Just give them a little scare.

That particular tactic hadn't affected Frisk, who was a child, even half as bad! Sans didn't think it would drive a full grown human into hysterics!!

Apparently he was wrong.

Sans sighed again, knocking a few more times. "bud? ya don't have to hide in there... you have as much right to this place as we do... so, uh, if you like, my bro is making dinner... and you're welcome to join us..." He waited, but got no answer. With a sigh, Sans stuffed his hands in his pockets and went back to the livingroom.

His SOUL clenched. Maybe he messed up worse than he thought.

The human did not appear.

\-------

"GOOD MORNING, SANS!!" Papyrus's voice penetrated through the haze of Sans's sleep. Yawning, he dragging himself out of bed with all his might. However, as he pushed off the bed, he lost his footing (one leg deciding not to awaken with the rest of him), and fell on his face.

"comin', bro," Sans groaned though the gaudy pink throw rug he was practically eating. When had that gotten there? Did Papyrus put it there? He didn't know they even owned a throw rug. Still, despite the color, Sans was thankful. It would have hurt a whole lot more without something so plush to cushion his fall.

"ALRIGHT, SANS!! REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR SHIRT!! SEE YOU IN THE KITCHEN!!" Papyrus's sturdy footsteps faded into the distance.

Sans slowly pushed himself to his feet, and stumbled into his closet for a fresh change of clothes. It was a struggle, but Sans managed (cheating a little with his BLUE magic for assistance). Pulling on his jacket again, he shook himself, rattling his bones so they settled naturally into place. Feeling a bit more refreshed, he left the room.

Sans was about to turn into the kitchen when he saw the flash of green from the corner of his eye, heard the click of the front door. He turned his head. One of the keys was missing from the rack. Shit. The human had left. Sans spun on his heels sharply, heading out.

"SANS? WHERE ARE YOU GOING??"

"leaving early, bro. i'll see ya later."

"O-OKAY! BE SAFE, BROTHER!!"

Sans could hear the disappointment in Papyrus's voice, and it almost made him turn back around. However, he had to see about the human, and given his schedule today (booked solid with 5 classes), he didn't have the luxury of waiting. Sans waved goodbye to his brother and left the dorm, jogging to catch up to the human who was already a good distance ahead.

He looked them up and down. The human's clothes were rumpled, her hair even more frizzy than it had been the last he saw her. The column of curls which hung down her back now were barely discernible beyond the mess of disorderly hairs. And... were those the same clothes they had been wearing two days ago? Possibly. He hadn't paid much attention to her clothing, the fuzzy animal ears which once again sat on her head drawing his attention more easily.

"heya." Sans said, a little out of breath. He wasn't used to moving so fast. The human didn't answer him. Sans frowned, about to say something again, when he saw they were wearing headphones. He considered what to do, and decided to tap their shoulder.

The human jumped, spinning around quickly to get a visual on the source of the contact. Sans waved. The human bit their lip, slowly taking off her headphones and hanging them on her shoulders. "Yes..?"

"heya." Sans said with as much friendliness as he could manage. "can we talk?" The human made a face, showing apprehension, fear, and annoyance. It clearly said, _'Do I have a choice?'_ Sans smiled in a way he hoped was friendly. " just wanted to say, uh, sorry for the other night. i might have, uh, overreacted."

"It's fine," the human responded automatically, turning back around. They resumed walking at a steady pace. Thankfully, their stride was small, so Sans had no trouble keeping up. The human went to put her headphones back on.

"so," Sans said quickly, catching their attention as they walked. The human's hands froze, dropping the headphones back to her shoulders again. Good. "i didn't see ya yesterday." The human didn't respond. Sans decided to keep talking, keeping their attention. "uh, what class do you have first?"

"History." The human answered softly, keeping their eyes forward and slightly downcast.

Sans almost stopped moving. "you mean, the one with that old man? the one we take together?"

"I guess."

"doesn't that start at 9?"

The human checked her phone. "Uh-huh."

"but it's 7:30 now."

The human checked her phone again. "Yeah."

"so why are you going so early..?"

"So I won't be late." She said simply. The human turned into the building, keeping their distance from the few other humans milling about as she made her way towards the classroom. She reached the door, taking a tentative hold of the nob and jimmying it. When it would not give, she stepped away and leaned back against the nearby wall, sliding to the floor to sit with her legs crossed, hugging her leather bag to her chest. She shivered, then let out a large yawn, her eyes squeezing shut as moisture gathered in the corners.

Sans came to a halt nearby and stood there, staring at her. Was she really that nervous about being on time? Well, given the welcome he had received before, perhaps it was understandable, and being a little early wasn't a bad thing, but _an hour and a half_ seemed a bit excessive. Besides, he had heard the slight twinge in her voice, the unconscious extension of the last vowel. There was more to it. Sans leaned against the wall a little ways away, watching the human curiously.

"you always this early?"

The human bristled, clearly not expecting him to continue their conversation. "...When I can help it," they admitted, not looking at him.

"and when ya can't?"

"I have to accept the consequences."

Sans tugged at the collar of his shirt. Geeze, it was like pulling teeth to talk to this chick! What was it going to take for him to get her to engage? He could tell she was doing her best to ignore him, to pretend he wasn't there. She reached up and stroked her animal ears, petting the mass of fake fur in slow soothing strokes. Eventually she put her headphones back on.

Sans decided it wasn't worth pursuing further.

The hour and a half passed. Other students began to gather. Sans watched as the human's body stiffened progressively more with each new person to arrive. Twice more they reached up and smoothed out the fuzz of their fake animal ears, fixing their glasses right after. At the first sign of the professor, the human scrambled to their feet, trying to be as close to the door as possible without being the the way. The professor unlocked the door and went inside. Two other students, who had been standing equally close to the teacher, slipped past the human and went in first. Sans saw the human's anxiety spike, their face contorting in a thinly veiled panic. They raced inside, dashing to the seat in the very back, in the corner. Sans only saw them relax when they sank into the chair, burying their face in their arms on top of their leather bag.

Was there something special about that spot, that they fought so hard to get to it?

Surely that can't be why they were so early...

Sans shook his head, taking a seat closer to the front now that he had a choice.

Throughout the lecture, Sans found himself glancing back at the human in the corner.

He never once saw her eyes look up.

\-------

Sans again found the human sleeping on the floor in front of the astronomy classroom. He again watched the human strategically position themselves so they were the first in the room, and then promptly take the seat against the back wall. Sans took a seat closer to the front, intent on his learning experience, and gave the human no further thought until the end of the lecture. Then, again, he watched as the human waited for everyone else to exit the room before getting up themselves.

Soon, Sans found himself once again alone with the human.

He wanted to smooth things over quickly. He wanted to be certain there was no animosity between him and the human. They were stuck with each other for the foreseeable future after all. However, he found his usual eloquence was lost. He had tried all his best tactics: threats, jokes, subtle interrogation, reading body language... hell, the only thing he _hadn't_ tried was a CHECK!

By this point, if he thought he could get away with it, he would have. However, he couldn't CHECK them without pulling out their SOUL, and that would be somewhat obvious. Then again, this particular human was exceedingly unobservant. On the other hand, he didn't want to start a FIGHT. Still, she was being rather difficult. it wasn't as though he was going to hurt her...

Sans continued to debate the pros and cons of performing a CHECK as he followed the human back to the dorm.

The human went inside before he could make a decision one way or another, disappearing into her room without a word.

\-------

"WELCOME HOME, BROTHER!!!" The voice of the taller guy pierced through the apartment, sending needles of pain through Krystal's skull. She dropped her bag to the bedroom floor carelessly, clutching at her ears in a vein attempt to block out the noise. Sounded like he had been in the kitchen area. That explained the smell: he must have burned something while cooking.

Krystal kind of liked the smell of burned food, although she didn't like the taste as much: burned anything usually had a subdued scent, and while it wasn't pleasant in the traditional sense, it was surprisingly gentle on her olfactory senses. So many smells were unpleasant, even painful, making her feel like her face had been beaten with a blunt object, that any smell which didn't try to knock her teeth out was welcome, even a smell which indicated that there had been a laps in judgement regarding the use of fire.

That of course didn't change the fact that her head was now pounding, the contractions in the tiny muscles therein making it feel like her right eye would fall out.

"WHERE IS THE HUMAN?"

Krystal forced herself to release her ears. She had to get used to it. It wasn't fair to ask someone to change just to accommodate her. Maybe earplugs would work. She might have to get noise canceling headphones. They were expensive, which was why she didn't have any already, but if she was going to live with a guy like that, she would have to suck it up and deal. Shit, what was his name? Gary? Paris? She would have to ask. That wasn't going to be a fun conversation. Nobody liked it when they found out she had forgotten their name after an introduction.

"WELL IT IS LATE!! I WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT TO THANK THE HUM- SANS DO NOT SLEEP AT THE COUNTER!!!"

Krystal stripped down to her underwear in her room, pulling on the lighter, more breathable pajama ensemble she preferred over all other clothes. Her arms and legs were shaking now, her back aching just from the effort of standing. Between the pain in her head and her middle, she wasn't sure which was worse, but the sensation that had her fullest attention was the impending depletion of her energy. Why was her energy so low? She wasn't THAT out of shape!

"WHAT IS IT?"

Finally, she finished, and collapsed onto the bed with a sigh of relief. That was better. No more wasting her resources standing up. She closed her eyes, a smile creeping across her face. Just let the gentle arms of the void collect her and-

"THE TINY HUMAN?! HERE?!?!? DO YOU MEAN IT?!?!?! WOWWIE!!!!"

Krystal's eyes snapped open. The _what?!_ Surely that didn't mean what she thought it meant.

"THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST SLEEPOVER EVER!!!!"

 _Oh no._ It was _worse_ than she thought. Shit. Fucking hell. Okay, okay, calm down. Calm. Down. It wasn't so bad. Maybe he was talking about something else. Like a midget. Or just a regular person who _seemed_ small to him. He was rather tall after all. There was no reason to jump to conclusions.

There was every reason to jump to conclusions.

Krystal rolled over on her side, pressing her face up against the wall, hiding from the world and everything in it. She dragged her pillow over her head, clawing at it like she wanted to rip it open. Part of her did. The other part didn't want to destroy a perfectly good pillow. That part won, and her fingers remained still, squeezing at the fabric but not ripping it.

"Shit..." she whispered to herself. This wasn't going to end well.


End file.
